Future rendering of proposed campus

About Nalanda University

Located in the town of Rajgir, in the northern Indian state of Bihar, Nalanda is a postgraduate, research intensive, international university supported by the participating countries of the East Asia Summit. The University came into being on November 25, 2010 by a special Act of the Indian Parliament and has been designated as an “institution of national importance”.

Nalanda is inspired by the academic excellence and global vision of its historic predecessor and aspires to meet and set global standards of academic excellence and research and enable capacity building in all areas of higher learning.
The University is being supported by all the Member States of the East Asia Summit and Intergovernmental Memorandums of Understanding to that effect have been signed by 17 countries.

The University seeks to recover the lost connections and partnerships that existed in the region called Asia, before the onset of historical forces that led to their dissolution. Asian cultures have multiple links that go deep into the past and are reflected in a variety of common cultural features. The re-discovery of inter-Asian linkages in recent times has led to a resurgence in discovering and building upon a shared history. Nalanda University is envisaged as an icon of this new Asian renaissance: a creative space that will be for future generations a centre of inter- civilizational dialogue.

A Secular, International University that is worthy of the name "Nalanda"

The Concept behind the Nalanda University Logo

The logo illustrates the central idea of Nalanda, as articulated in "The Nalanda Way" – "man living in harmony with man, man living in harmony with nature, and man living as part of nature".

Man living in harmony with man will be advanced in part through study of the humanities.

Man living in harmony with nature recognizes the importance of studying and furthering the sciences.

Man living as part of nature is predicated on creating a community that harmonizes with its local environment.

As a graphic, this logo is a "rebus" or visual pun. On the one hand, it depicts a tree, which is significant as a symbol of nature, significant because of the Bodhi tree's importance to the story of Nalanda, and significant because the tree is a metaphor for life and of giving. On the other hand, it shows interlinked figures of the people who have come together to create this new university.

In depicting the interlinking of different stakeholders, the logo thereby exemplifies what is unique about this university – it results from the coming together of different countries, of people across geographies who are working together to create a new institution. It emphasizes a different aspect of globalization: the exchange of ideas and people to expand learning and culture.

The visual treatment is clearly Asian in its expression, and it is unique in that it does not resemble any other logo. Derived from the DNA of the university, and drawn using classic and timeless design principles rather than a language that is trendy today but will be dated tomorrow, the logo promises to endure.